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Hope I get to spend more time in middle: Ambati Rayudu

Mumbai Indians batsman says it's not easy for him to get his mindset right batting down the order

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Knowingly or otherwise, Ambati Rayudu dropped big hint to the Mumbai Indians' think-tank after his match-winning innings on Friday against the Rajasthan Royals: Send me higher up the order, and I can produce more such knocks.

The Hyderabadi's 27-ball 53 coming in at No. 5 lifted the Mumbai Indians from a middle-order slump, and his whirlwind knock was the difference between a total of around 160 and what the Mumbai Indians eventually got – 187/5. Rayudu walked in after Unmukt Chand's wicket in the 11th over, a situation that gave him ample time to settle down and change gears towards the end.

So far this season, he hasn't quite had the luxury of time. Rayudu played at No. 4 in the first two games, was dropped for the third, came in at No. 7 in the following game, and then at No. 6 for the next three matches. No wonder Rayudu didn't have much to show before Friday's match.

"In T20 cricket, when you're batting lower down the order, it's not easy to get your mindset right, especially for a top-order batsman. I think it took me a little while to get my shape and swing going. I'm happy that I got a little bit of time today (Friday) to build an innings so that I could play some big shot towards the end," Rayudu said at the post-match press conference on Friday.

Big shots he did play. Why, he even deposited low full tosses into the mid-wicket stand as if it was the easiest shot in the book.

Asked whether being dropped for the game against Rajasthan Royals in Ahmedabad spurred him on to make a statement, Rayudu said candidly, "I don't know why they dropped me, to be very honest. But I don't want to get into it. It has nothing to do with the way I've been playing. I have been shaping up well for the whole year, not just the IPL.

"So I'm happy with the way I'm batting and I'm hoping that I would get more innings and more time under the belt."

After Thursday's knock, Mumbai Indians think tank may well consider Rayudu for batting higher up the order by probably sending him at No. 3 in place of Chand.

And as for the team's second straight victory, Rayudu said it already feels like play-off time for them.

"Our play-offs have already started, to be honest. We need to take each game at a time and try to go that extra mile (in every game)," he said.

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